Top Stories of The Week
President Trump signs order to establish Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, will hold as store of value akin to Fort Knox
President Donald Trump signed an executive order to establish a strategic Bitcoin reserve. The reserve will initially comprise approximately 200,000 Bitcoin seized from criminal activities, with authorizations to acquire more in a budget-neutral way. The order also establishes a US digital asset stockpile, which will consist of other digital assets seized by the government, but without provisions to acquire more.
Crypto scores win after US Senate votes to repeal DeFi tax rule
The U.S. Senate voted to repeal a Biden-era rule that required decentralized finance (DeFi) platforms to report user transactions to the IRS, citing concerns over privacy and handicapping innovation. The repeal now awaits approval from the House of Representatives and President Donald Trump, who is expected to sign it into law.
SEC moves to drop lawsuit against Cumberland DRW, marking latest crypto probe dissolved under Trump administration
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has agreed to drop its lawsuit against Cumberland DRW which it accused last year of acting as an unregistered dealer when trading $2 billion in cryptocurrencies. This decision marks a significant shift in the SEC's approach under the Trump administration, following similar actions like dropping lawsuits against Kraken, ConsenSys, and Coinbase, as well as ending probes into Gemini and Yuga Labs.
Lawmakers Launch Bipartisan Congressional Crypto Caucus Following Trump Bitcoin Push
A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers has formed the Congressional Crypto Caucus to support and defend open, permissionless, and private innovation in the United States. Led by Representatives Tom Emmer (R-MN) and Ritchie Torres (D-NY), the caucus aims to promote a nonpartisan approach to cryptocurrency policy.
The Ethereum Foundation Restructures Leadership With New Co-Executive Directors
The Ethereum Foundation has appointed Hsiao-Wei Wang and Tomasz Stańczak as co-executive directors, restructuring its leadership to enhance technical expertise and community engagement. This follows Aya Miyaguchi's transition from executive director to president, aiming to strengthen institutional relationships and expand Ethereum's global influence.
Ethereum
Ethereum's Pectra Upgrade Delayed Following Testing Hitches
Ethereum's Second Buggy 'Pectra' Test Could Lead to a Delayed Upgrade
Ethereum Researcher Proposes Shared Random Algorithm to Decentralize Block Building
Ethereum Foundation backs advanced cryptography startup ZKNox, eyeing post-quantum future
Ethereum Foundation forms external council to uphold core blockchain values
Altcoins
Jito Foundation contributor proposes new JTO tokenomics model, including potential buybacks
Canary Capital registers SUI ETF in Delaware
SUI Surges on Trump-Affiliated World Liberty Financial Reserve Asset Deal
Sam Altman's World Network Unveils New Chat Feature to Connect Real Humans
Bitwise files S-1 registration for a Aptos ETF as number of potential altcoin-based funds swells
Canary Capital Files to Launch ETF Tracking Cross-Chain Protocol Axelar
SingularityNET and Privado ID Establish First Decentralized AI Agent Trust Registry
Ripple focuses on US crypto education with $50M grant to launch National Cryptocurrency Association
SSV Labs proposes decentralized staking module for Lido on Ethereum
Paradigm leads $41 million token round for Across Protocol aiming to unify Ethereum
Aave contributor presents ‘most important proposal in our history,’ token price jumps 8%
Pyth Network Launches Open-Source Insights Hub for Real-Time DeFi Price Transparency Across Chains
Uniswap Partners with Robinhood and Payment Platforms for Seamless Crypto-to-Fiat Transactions
Former Congressman Patrick McHenry joins Ondo Finance as advisory board vice chairman
Solana Price Rebounds as CME Group Debuts Futures to Meet 'Increasing Client Demand'
Stablecoins
Cosmos-based Noble’s yield-paying USDN stablecoin goes live
Tether appoints Simon McWilliams as new CFO in step toward full financial audit
Crypto Ecosystem
Pyth Network Partners with Coinbase to Enhance Asset Pricing
Prediction Market MYRIAD Launches USDC Markets
Base acquires team at PoW blockchain Iron Fish to develop ‘privacy-preserving primitives’
MetaMask Integrates Crypto Tax Calculator to Offer Built-In Tax Management Tool
Bitwise Taps Maple Finance as 'Battle-Tested' DeFi Lender
DoubleZero’s alternative to public internet targets mainnet rollout in H2
Fireblocks Unveils Cyber Security Tools to Help Crypto Handlers Meet Europe’s DORA Rules
Payments Infrastructure Provider Transak Expands to Australia Following Exchange Approval
Crypto Custodian Hex Trust Secures Major Payment Institution License in Singapore
World Liberty Financial amasses millions in ETH, WBTC and MOVE ahead of White House Crypto Summit
Lombard Finance to Launch its Liquid-Staking Bitcoin Token LBTC on Sui
Reddit co-founder aims to put TikTok on the blockchain with US acquisition bid
Sygnum Bank Expands Off Exchange Custody Platform to Include Deribit
Crypto Prime Broker FalconX's Head of Trading Brian Strugats Has Left the Business
PayPal-Backed Mintoak Acquires CBDC Startup Digiledge in $3.5M Deal
MegaETH set to deploy public testnet this week
Berachain liquid staking protocol Infrared raises $14 million in Series A token round
US judge dismisses SEC’s lawsuit against Richard Heart and Hex, PulseChain on jurisdictional grounds
Layer-2 BOB's 'Bitcoin DeFi' Continues Progress With Fireblocks Integration
Copper Hires Tammy Weinrib as Chief Compliance Officer for Americas as it Expands in U.S.
MetaMask denies MASK token as Coinbase-backed DEX lists speculative pre-markets
Coinbase, NEAR, Others Form Alliance to Develop Open AI Services
CoW Swap surges to 26% market share, challenging 1inch for DEX aggregator dominance
Base cuts block times to 0.2 seconds on testnet with Flashblocks, mainnet rollout expected in Q2
MetaMask wallet to add support for Solana and Bitcoin
NFTs / Gaming / Metaverse
'Axie Infinity: Atia’s Legacy' MMO Game Coming to Ethereum Network Ronin
'Eve Frontier' Recruits Central Bank Economist to Develop Ethereum Game's Virtual Economy
Solana Game 'Nyan Heroes' Reveals Biggest Airdrop Yet for Next Playtest
'Parallel' Headed to Mobile as Ethereum Card Game Crowns $100K Champion
Ethereum NFT Protocol Zora Reveals Token Airdrop Plans
Mining
Core Scientific Shares Drop 15% as Microsoft Cuts CoreWeave Commitments
Core Scientific Appoints Former Investment Banker as New CFO
Canaan Mines 82 Bitcoin in February, Surpasses Q4 Revenue Guidance with $89M
Hut 8 Reports $331M Net Income in 2024 While Expanding AI Infrastructure
Exchanges
Russian Crypto Trading Platform Garantex Seized by Secret Service
Coinbase eyes tokenized securities as crypto regulations shift under Trump administration
Robinhood Lists Arbitrum ($ARB), an ETH L2 Token, to Expand Cryptocurrency Offerings
Deribit Launches Block RFQ System to Improve Liquidity for Large Over-the-Counter Trades
Crypto.com CRO faces backlash amid 70 billion burned token restore, 87% early voters say ‘no’
Coinbase demands SEC reveal US taxpayer cost of Gary Gensler’s aggressive crypto enforcement
Binance to Delist Non-MiCA Compliant Stablecoin Trading Pairs for EEA Users by March 2025
Uphold Relaunches Staking in the US, Reveals US Crypto Reserve Basket
Upbit owner clashes with South Korean regulators in legal battle
Investment Mgmt
Tokenized Asset Manager Superstate Registers Transfer Agent with SEC
Bitwise Debuts Bitcoin and Gold ETP in Europe
Blockstream Receives Multibillion-Dollar Investment to Launch Bitcoin Lending Funds
Early Solana Backer Foundation Capital Raises $600M for Eleventh Flagship Fund
BlackRock Adds Its IBIT Bitcoin ETF to Alternative Asset Model Portfolio
Trad Fi / Tech
Medical Tech Firm BioNexus Gene Lab Announces New Ethereum-Focused Treasury Strategy
Dubai Government-Owned Bank Emirates NBD Offers Crypto Trading Through Liv X App
Brazilian Fintech Méliuz to Allocate 10% of Cash Reserves to Bitcoin
Japan’s SBI VC Trade completes regulatory registration to process USDC transactions
Deutsche Telekom subsidiary becomes a validator for Injective blockchain
Boerse Stuttgart Partners With DekaBank to Offer Crypto Trading for Institutional Clients
CBDC
Israel releases preliminary CBDC design for digital shekel
Regulatory / Countries
Congressman Tom Emmer revives anti-CBDC bill, calls digital dollar a ‘surveillance tool’
Texas Surges in U.S. States' Race to Put Public Funds Into Crypto
Indian town adopts Avalanche blockchain for tamper-proof land records
Japan’s ruling party proposes capping crypto tax rate at 20%, matching stocks
New York introduces new bill to crack down on crypto rug pulls and private key theft
Pakistan Appoints Bilal bin Saqib as Chief Advisor for Crypto Policy Development
Bitcoin Reserve Announcement Coming Friday, Says Commerce Secretary
Russia Explores Regulated Crypto Trading for Qualified Investors Under Experimental Framework
SEC’s crypto task force set to hold its first roundtable later this month
Yuga Labs Announces Conclusion of SEC Investigation into the NFT Company
Vietnam to Establish Legal Framework for Digital Assets
El Salvador’s Bukele Adds 19 Bitcoin as IMF Pushes Back on BTC Adoption
Trump Admin Throws Weight Behind Bill to Repeal Anti-DeFi IRS Crypto Tax Rule
Senator Lummis to discuss US Bitcoin reserve bill with industry leaders on March 11
U.S. Senate Expected to Vote on Erasing IRS's Crypto Broker Rule That Threatens DeFi: Source
Colombia plans crypto regulations to curb risks and attract investment
SEC agrees to drop case against crypto exchange Kraken, firm says
SEC and Justin Sun Pause Tron Fraud Lawsuit for Settlement Talks
Coinbase case officially dropped by SEC
Arizona crypto reserve bills inch closer to law after passing Senate
Why the SEC says memecoins are more like Beanie Babies than securities
Surveys, Hacks, Other Misc
Almost Half of Mexican Startups Want to Use Crypto – Report
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